Young inventors and creators—and potential transportation engineers—gathered on February 28 for a day of family fun at Tech Fest, an annual event held at The Works Museum in Bloomington, Minnesota. Celebrating National Engineers Week, Tech Fest features hands-on activities and demonstrations from the museum and its engineering, technology, and science partners from all over the Twin Cities.
The U of M’s Roadway Safety Institute (RSI) hosted two activities. One was designing safety road signs. “While ‘watch out for cats or dogs’ was the most common theme the kids chose, we also had warnings about sharknados, zombies, and all sorts of other roadway dangers,” says Colleen O’Connor Toberman, CTS program coordinator.
The other RSI activity allowed children to learn about bicycle and pedestrian counting technology developed by U researchers. “The kids had a great time trying to figure out how the sensors worked—and how to pass through without getting counted,” she says.
RSI is the Region 5 University Transportation Center, led by the University of Minnesota. This year’s Tech Fest drew 1,039 attendees. The Works, a hands-on science and technology museum, offers exhibits, programs, and design challenges to engage kids in science, technology, and engineering and make learning memorable and fun.
